Guide Dog – Lovely Domestic Bliss | Release of the Week

Guide Dog are a trio from Cardiff and this is their debut album Lovely Domestic Bliss. I’ve always been partial to a bit of domestic bliss myself, and have found that over the years I’ve learned how to achieve such harmony. As a male and a boyfriend, I’ve learned that the secret to keeping the peace is to just do everything you’re told and agree with everything. Everything. Sure, it’ll leave you a broken husk of a man, but at least you’ll be able to watch TV shows in peace.

Lovely Domestic Bliss details the frustrations of adulthood. Becoming a parent in their mid-thirties while working in accounts is not a life many people strive for, so the best way to release that tension is through heavy Grunge music. This is illustrated perfectly on second track ‘I Am The Daddy’, which showcases a pummelling guitar riff that aims straight for the skull, akin to a baby’s scream. Guide Dog let loose with a thunderous display of ferocious energy and it translates really well in their quest to restore Grunge to the mainstream.

There’s a real middle finger pathos given to The Man, which as an avid fan of Punk music growing up really appeals to me. Songs such as ‘Egos With Genitals’ and ‘Sir Yes Sir’ have a real tongue-in-cheek way of dealing with the struggle of climbing the ladder in a concrete jungle. The former tears a new one in the airwaves with another ragged display of guitar-driven anger, while the latter struts it’s way around the status quo with a harmony-lead instrumental that’s jazzy in it’s execution.

The wonderfully titled ‘I Was A C-U-N-T’ extends the Grunge branch by exploring the realms of electronica as it with a scatty synth beat that glitches through the airwaves while pairing up nicely with the guitars. It’s all highlights to what’s a very strong debut from Guide Dog. Lovely Domestic Bliss is a punchy introduction from a band who have grown up and dealt with the frustrations of life and translated it extremely well through music.